This School provided students with excellent conditions: free tuition, living expenses, and even guaranteed job placement or a 100% university admission rate upon graduation.
It looked like a lie.
It was indeed a lie.
Because each batch of students was divided into four Classes: A, B, C, and D, but only students who graduated from Class A could receive the rewards advertised by the School.
Other students would be arranged to graduate from other Schools upon graduation.
This ensured a 100% admission and employment rate.
After all, was the School doing charity?
No.
Advanced Nurturing High School operated to cultivate talents who could shoulder heavy responsibilities and solve various thorny problems in the future.
The method was competition.
All specific students were gathered together, and then, using the Class As a unit, they engaged in Class competitions, gaining something and growing in each competition.
The School adopted students recommended by junior high School principals from all over the country, and then conducted special assessments and evaluations of these students, dividing them into four Classes: A, B, C, and D, according to their excellence.
So, although it's a Class vs. Class competition, the basic hardware of each Class is different from the start.
The higher the Class ranking, the better the basic quality of the students.
Therefore, in the past, when students graduated from Third Year, most of them were from Class A, representing the School's graduates.
There were very few instances of lower-ranked Classes rising above.
And Class D, on the other hand, was evaluated as a garbage place, filled with defective products and irredeemable students.
And this is the true nature of the School.
And this was also what she had just considered telling Hikigaya if he asked, even if it meant paying a price.
But.
Chabashira now felt there was no need to tell him.
His insight into her huge amount of point, his ability to not be swayed by the School's various preferential treatments, and his rational thinking that deeply understood there was no free lunch.
All of these made her feel that if she just gave him time, he might quickly discover the true nature of this School.
It seems that Hiratsuka had sent her a treasure.
"Your question involves a relatively high point cost, so I have no comment," Chabashira Sae said.
"Oh."
"Don't be so down," Chabashira Teacher continued.
"Let's make a deal.
I can help you get the authority to convert the point you want into cash in advance."
Hmm?
Hachiman then looked up at the female Teacher.
Although Chabashira Sae seemed nonchalant in Class, there was a light in her eyes now…
But… Hachiman felt like he was… being targeted.
"What does Chabashira Teacher want me to do?"
The private account section on Hachiman's student ID only had 100,000 point.
Within the School, one point was equal to one yen in purchasing power.
But he also felt that he might not receive so much money next month.
After all…
A Class has 40 people, four Classes means 160 people, and a monthly expenditure of 16 million.
And it's not just First Year students, there are also older students.
So, no matter how you look at it, it's a huge sum of money, and the School, which handles financial expenditures, wouldn't be so lenient.
And this was evident from Chabashira Teacher's various "no comment" responses.
The School wouldn't be so kind.
Nor would it do charity for nothing.
"As your Teacher, I don't know your information very well, so you can help me investigate some students, write them into files, and submit them."
"For each student, I can give you 200,000 as remuneration."
Chabashira said, "Don't refuse, because no one else will be as willing to pay as much as I am."
A student's file is worth 200,000.
If it's 40 students, that's 8 million.
And now, a student can get 100,000 upon enrollment.
The treatment looks good.
But Chabashira Teacher said that no one else would be as willing to pay, to pay so much…
Does that mean the upcoming life will indeed be very bad?
…
After accepting the task from Chabashira Teacher, Hachiman returned to the classroom.
After all, he was still just a student.
But when he returned, he found that the students in the classroom were gone, with only two or three people remaining.
Uh.
Does that mean the students had already formed their own cliques?
"Hikigaya."
But then, the handsome young man with green-gold hair sitting near the Teacher's desk suddenly turned around.
"The students have gone to get their books and have already returned to their dorms with them."
"And some students have gone to the Shopping Street to verify if they can use the point on their student ID for shopping."
Oh.
I see.
That's right.
Because when he went to chase Chabashira, she took him to the Rooftop of the teaching building.
And after finally coming down, it was already half an hour later.
At this time, it was indeed enough for the students to get their books, distribute them, and then leave.
Moreover, with free accommodation and a living allowance worth 100,000 yen, everyone must have been very excited, so they naturally went to verify if they could use it directly.
It's just…
Isn't this very bad?
Because this also meant that the students had formed their own cliques…and he was the one left behind.
And he was still burdened with the task Komachi had given him: to find his own friends.
Had the difficulty increased before it even began?
Hachiman thought so.
"I've kept all your books for you, it's really good that you're back now."
And Hirata said, standing up.
"I've already asked others to help me take my books back to the dorm, do you want me to help you take your books back too?"
"Also, we've set up a Class group, can we add you?"
"I'll pull you in."
"It's very convenient for notifying things and helping each other."
"Hmm, of course, it's not that I need to worry about you… it's just that Hikigaya's self-introduction was interrupted, so I feel uneasy and can't just leave him."
This Hirata said.
But.
Eh?
What kind of Little Angel is this?
Hachiman was surprised.
Immediately after entering this Class, it was the handsome young man in front of him who organized the self-introductions.
At that time, Hachiman's impression of him was that he must be a popular person, very skilled in such social situations, and would definitely become very popular.
But now.
It seems he's not just amiable, but… truly a male Little Angel.
"Well then, I'll add you as a friend now."
And Hirata took out his phone, preparing to connect.
But his phone received a message.
It seemed he received several messages from classmates at the same time.
"Hmm, just a moment…" Hirata quickly said.
Then he quickly replied to his classmates.
And the messages were basically questions from the other party asking what had happened and what to do.
Hirata was trusted by others.
Extremely busy.
Hmm.
And this also caused Hachiman's evaluation of him to change slightly.
Because.
It seems he's not just a male Little Angel, but probably a male mother.
....
"Beep!"
After getting his room card from the dorm manager, Hachiman swiped open his assigned dorm.
Room 304.
The room was not big, about four by five in size.
However, the equipment was quite complete: a single bed, with white bedding to prove it was brand new and completely clean, allowing one to move in directly with peace of mind.
A computer desk, a swivel chair, an intercom phone on the computer desk, a storage cabinet next to it, and an air conditioner above the computer desk.
Directly opposite the entrance was the bed, and to the right of the entrance was a bathroom and toilet.
The wall outside the bathroom was the wardrobe.
And from the entrance to the bed, there was also a simple kitchen.
This was everything in the room.
Simple, but complete.
For students, it was definitely an excellent environment.
For Hachiman, who had no experience living with others, it was a sigh of relief.
"Then I'll put the books down."
Hirata said.
"What are your plans next, Hikigaya?" Hirata Yosuke said.
It seemed he was preparing to continue acting with Hachiman?
"I'm probably going to the Shopping Street to replenish some daily necessities, and then explore this School a little," Hachiman said.
"After all, I've just enrolled and haven't even toured the School yet."
"I see…" Hirata seemed to be about to follow, but then shook his head.
"I have some things here that I can't do with you."
As he said this, he was looking down at his phone.
It seemed that students from his Class and students from other Classes were having a dispute.
Hirata, as a male mother, decided to go and see.
This meant that he was now acting as a Class adhesive, wherever there was a conflict or problem, he would go to extinguish the fire and rescue like a firefighter.
Having such a student as a classmate would make one feel at ease.
However, there were many people in the Class who needed Hirata to worry about, overall, it still felt a bit unstable.
Indeed, as Chabashira Teacher did not explicitly state.
Would they not receive such a generous living allowance next month?
So, after Hirata left, Hachiman placed the books on the desk, then looked around the dorm to familiarize himself with the environment.
Then he sat back in the chair.
"Click—"
He opened his phone and took a picture.
It wasn't because he liked such actions, but because he hoped to send the photo to his younger sister, Komachi.
He wanted to tell her that he had settled down, and at the same time, show off that his living conditions were quite good.
But then.
[Message not sent]
??
Hachiman then walked to the balcony and held up his phone.
Then he checked the phone screen again.
[Message not sent]
"Beep!"
Hachiman walked outside the room.
[Message not sent]
"..."
Alright.
He understood.
This is what an all-dormitory system meant.
Not only were students required to live in dorms for all three years, but they were also cut off from outside contact.
However, the functional software on the phone, aside from the student ID that Chabashira-sensei mentioned, was another original software from Advanced Nurturing High School that was installed from the beginning.
The School Forum.
It was under the management of the Student Council.
Hachiman opened the School Forum and found that he needed to log in with his ID number.
It seemed to require real-name verification.
However, the content on it was a bit messy.
[This year's new students have enrolled, and the shop where I work is too busy.]
This was likely from a staff member.
[Ah, these few days are especially tough every year. I really want a holiday, but I still have a 4-year contract.] Still from a staff member.
It could be confirmed that staff members also couldn't leave the school at will and were required to work for a certain number of years.
[Please browse civilly. The internet connects you and me, and a civilized and healthy environment depends on everyone.]
This was likely an announcement from the Student Council.
[The Art Club is recruiting members. Students who pass and whose works reach an excellent standard can receive point rewards.] This was from an upper-year student.
It seemed like a good condition.
And it was also a channel to earn points.
However.
Hachiman scrolled down the forum interface and suddenly stopped.
Because a new post caught his attention.
[Chess Challenge, entry fee 100,000. Best two out of three games. If the challenger wins even one game, they will receive a prize of 1,000,000 points.]
This was from an ordinary student.
However, the title was quite bold.
1,000,000 points, what kind of rich lady is this?
Hachiman clicked on it.
He found that the poster also used real-name verification.
And her name was Sakayanagi Arisu.
The pronunciation of the name was probably Alice, Alice, hmm...a nice name.
However, Hachiman wasn't someone who was obsessed with looks or voices.
He thought that petite girls were also very cute.
When he opened this post, he found that some students had replied, saying that the other party was too arrogant and showy.
Moreover, the other party was just a mere new student.
In other words, could he check the other party's Class?
Hachiman then clicked on the information of [Sakayanagi Arisu], who had a Chess piece as her avatar.
[ID14520, Real-name verified, Identity: Grade 1, Class A, Sakayanagi Arisu]
Grade 1 Class A?
So the other party was also a new student.
Did the students in Class A have different initial points than those in Class D?
Hachiman replied, [Are your initial points also 100,000?]
But he waited for 2 minutes and received no reply.
At this time, it seemed like someone had started to act.
They began to inquire about the challenge location, preparing to give this naive new student a taste of upper-year shock.
But the reply they received was to go to the Chess Club.
The venue there could be used at any time.
Because the other party had already completed their challenge at the school's Chess Club.
That impressive?
He wanted to watch the excitement a little.
However.
Hachiman continued to gather information.
[The free mountain vegetable set meal at Window 5 in the cafeteria doesn't seem that bad.]
These were from ordinary students.
And after opening the post, someone immediately replied.
"Are you sure? The mountain vegetable set meal I ate at Window 9 today was absolutely disgusting."
"Queue up for me, I'll also get a portion."
"Is there still food there? Get me a portion too."
"..."
And when he opened the information of the students who made these replies.
He found that they came from Class 2-D, Third-year C Class, and Third-year D Class.
He felt a little uneasy.
Because although anyone could take free things.
But...
Now, it was a scene of scrambling.
Because were these direct upperclassmen and upperclasswomen from Grade 2 and Grade 3... living so miserably?
...
Ten minutes later.
Hachiman quickly read the first two pages of the forum.
Then he quietly analyzed it.
It seemed that not only students, but also the Student Council and people from the Shopping Area could log in.
He could gather information from here.
However, the information gathered was messy and needed to be sorted out.
Regarding gathering information, Hachiman didn't directly go to the Shopping Area to check if the points on everyone's student ID could be used directly as money.
Because students in the Class group had already verified it.
A student went to the Shopping Area and directly purchased items.
Payment was successful using the student ID.
And it didn't even restrict large purchases; it was possible to spend 50,000 points directly to buy a game console.
This was truly great.
Or rather, a bit terrible.
Because why would someone directly spend 50,000 points to buy a game console?
Did they have no sense of safety or crisis at all?
If he looked at the forum a bit more, he would find that the direct upperclassmen and upperclasswomen of Class D were eating disgusting set meals.
Why would they be reduced to eating disgusting things?
However, Hachiman's luck was still alright.
He found that the students in this Class group seemed to be incomplete.
When he was invited to join by Hirata, the top of the group interface showed 25, meaning only 25 students had joined so far.
But then again, only half a day after school started, 25 students had already joined, which showed how amazing people with social skills were.
...
After familiarizing himself with the dormitory again, Hachiman also prepared to go shopping.
On one hand, he learned that while points seemed abundant, judging from the performance of the seniors, the situation for Class C and Class D would generally become very bad.
So, perhaps he needed to save some.
Then he also had to start doing the task Chabashira-sensei assigned.
Completing her task could earn him a reward of 200,000 points, which still looked very tempting.
However.
Hachiman stood at the elevator door, waiting for the elevator coming down from above to open automatically.
He found that there was already a girl in the elevator.
She had golden, choppy hair, moist, wine-red pupils, and a smooth face.
Her lips also had a glossy sheen.
She was a very cute girl.
Hachiman recognized this girl because she was the second person to stand up and introduce herself when Hirata organized self-introductions.
And Hachiman remembered what she said.
Her name was Kushida Kikyo, and she seemed to want to be friends with everyone.
If it wasn't ambition, then her social skills must be very strong.
"You are..." The other party seemed to find Hachiman familiar.
But what Hachiman thought of was that his self-introduction had been interrupted.
So it was normal for him not to be known.
"You're Hikigaya Hachiman, right?" The other party said.
"Chabashira-sensei came in then, and you didn't finish your introduction, but I remember you said you were from Chiba."
"Chiba, I have a classmate whose hometown is also in Chiba. The scenery there is beautiful, and many TV dramas are filmed in Makuhari Kaihin."
This Kushida seemed very talkative.
Eh!
So she remembered his unfinished self-introduction?
"Hey, Hikigaya, can you tell me about Chiba sometime?" Kushida looked over with her cute, moist eyes.
So Cute.
This was the first time Hachiman… had been looked at by a girl with such eyes.
Hmm.
What's going on?
Class D not only has Hirata as a mother figure, but now there's also Kushida, an Angel?